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Tuesday, July 01, 2008

"Wee sleekit cowerin timr'ous beasties"

I sometimes wonder if Burns was writing about mice when he wrote that line or, did he have a premonition about the SNP ?

My last two posts of June 30th. and June 29th. have received 7 hostile comments about the June 30th. article re. 'Scotland's dignity' so what ? I hear you ask, nothing new there then.

I would point out though that they all have something in common, not one of them addresses the issue written about in the June 30 th. article, not one of them.They all want to rehash old accusations, make personal attacks on Wendy Alexander and generally talk about anything but the behaviour of the SNP and it's latest yes man Keith (be umble keif be umble) Brown.

Scotland and it's parliament has been shamed by this man and the SNP and none of them can face up to it so, no surprise there then eh ? please read the article again and then read the posts from these SNP men or, is it mice.

Question councillor - what if the shoe was on the other foot and it was Salmond in the frame? Do you think Labour would have shown mercy?

Seriously?

The Labour Party, an organisation that:

1- Harrassed Winnie Ewing in Parliament after the Hamilton by-election.

2- Tried to ban the SNP from having party political broadcasts

3 - Banned until the 1990's an SNP delegate at the Cenotraph, in particular naval veteran and Western Isles MP Donald Stewart.

And the abuse from friends (not even metted out to Sinn Feinn) in the media right up to the present day.

You are right. People remember. If you beat something long enough they bite back. It is not pleasent.

For the record I do think Wendy was hard done by and she was taking Labour in a more progressive direction. So was McLeish but it was his own party who knived him. But that is politics - your enemies behind you and your opponents to the side (Holyrood)/front (Westminster) of you.

No wonder voters are disillusioned with the democratic process. All we are presented with with are snide ad hominem attacks, fraudulent financial arrangements and poorly thought-out legislation designed to act as a dog whistle to the reactionary press. Or worse, to show how 'tough' a politician is.

As for saying the SNP are worse than Labour because this chap will have an assured career despite some underhand politicking, I'd point you to Alistair Campbell and his Machiavellian role in Blair's government. Pot, here's your old friend kettle.

Frankly, you all seem to be as venal, incompetent and feckless as each other.

"Scotland and it's parliament has been shamed by this man and the SNP and none of them can face up to it so, no surprise there then eh ?"

I'd argue that the broader point here is that political discourse has become almost totally debased to the point where this incident doesn't really stand out as unusual.

It's not just the SNP that shame British politics with a bit of partisan nastiness; there are bigger issues such as the dishonesty of the case for war in Iraq, the disdain MPs show for transparency and the boys' club nature of parliamentary exchanges.

In the face of a more general malaise, do you think anyone cares about a case of backstabbing by a ruling party? We've become used to it. In the political climate New Labour have fostered - the rise of smear tactics, press manipulation and cynical dealings - why does it surprise you that some grubby little nationalist can get away with a bit of sharp practice?

This one incident hasn't shamed politics: it's already in the mire. What would you do to raise the standards of British politics to a point where the abuse of a process to oust a rival merits more than a shrug and a 'Meh, they're at it again...'?

I think parties of all stripes are more than happy to rig votes or abuse the parliamentary system for partisan gain. For example, Michael Meacher's been very good at supressing anti-Government speakers in the House of Commons (even those from Labour's back benches). Is that fair play?

Anyway, you didn't address my broader point about the tarnished reputation of politics in this country. Anything to say about that?

Like any other walk of life there are good and bad people involved, I can only speak on a personal basis about Labour and the overwhelming majority of people that I’ve dealt with in approx 40 yrs. have been decent and honest.

Your description of politics suggests a lack of knowledge of the subject, the truth is that it’s not easy to rig votes as you suggest.

In case you think I'm linking just to Tory papers, here's The Guardian and The Indie on the same stroy. "Pork barrel politics", eh?

I take your point about good and bad people being involved in all industries. My old MP in Nottingham was one of the good guys at a local level. But at national level, these good guys seem to be reduced to quiet mumbling on the back benches. Why is it only the unprincipled that make it to the front bench?

Anyway, you've once again dodged the point of the continuing abasement of politics in Britain. Turn-outs are falling and politicians enjoy less trust than ever. Does politics have an image problem, or is there something rotten in the state of Denmark?

Not sure we need a socialist revolution, but I'd agree something has to change. Maybe reducing the bureaucratic class, straightening out the imcredibly complex tax and benefits system to give people more of their own cash and bringing in PR would be a start?

Or a bloodless coup like the Velvet Revolution to return a level of self-determination to the people.

I'd imagine Fidel's a bit past staging revolutions these days! Perhaps the Chinese can spare one of Mao Zedong's successors to come over here and shake things up a bit?

(Nick) 08:52If you ever see a picture of the Knesset in session you might see some guys dressed in long flowing black robes with long flowing hair an long flowing beards and black pointed wizard type hats, about 3 or 4 of them. They are ultra religious Jews who want to live the way they did 2,000 years ago, no doubt nice guys, kind to kids and animals. They are very powerful people and the Knesset has to listen to what they say.

In Renfrewshire Council Labour won the majority of the popular vote by approx. 1,500 the SNP were second and we had 17 seats each. The Tories came third in the popular vote with two seats and the Lib. Dems. came last but got 4 seats. The Lib. Dems. Are now in power with the SNP and Labour and the Tories are in opposition.

Both of these two scenarios are the result of PR, Italy e.g. has I think had approx. 50 Governments since the war 60 years ago and Fascism is once again on the rise in that country, yes they have had PR for 60 yrs. Please don’t tell me about PR.

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I represent Ward 4 Paisley North West. I'm a Socialist who believes in equality, peace and the redistribution of wealth, I opposeRacism, Sexism, Sectarianism, Nationalism and any kind of discrimination. Best wishes for a Socialist future.What appears on this website are my personal views and opinions. Not those of the Labour Party, Renfrewshire Council or anyone else, mine only.

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